BIOMERIT Research Centre, Microbiology Department, University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland

Title

Identification of Novel Phytase Genes from an Agricultural Soil-Derived Metagenome

PublicationInfo

J. Microbiol. Biotechnol.2014 ;
Vol.24-1

Abstract

Environmental microorganisms are emerging as an important source of new enzymes for
wide-scale industrial application. In this study, novel phytase genes were identified from a
soil microbial community. For this, a function-based screening approach was utilized for the
identification of phytase activity in a metagenomic library derived from an agricultural soil.
Two novel phytases were identified. Interestingly, one of these phytases is an unusual
histidine acid phosphatase family phytase, as the conserved motif of the active site of PhyX
possesses an additional amino acid residue. The second phytase belongs to a new type, which
is encoded by multiple open reading frames (ORFs) and is different to all phytases known to
date, which are encoded by a single ORF.